US Soccer: Outclassed, But Not Beaten Down

Through two matches, the US haven’t had the success they would have liked during the run of three international friendlies. The US looked much better in sections against Spain than they looked against a down England side, but they were still unable to put a ball in the net.

The defense has been solid, with a few notable breakdowns and too many fouls near the box, but there is little shame in surrendering goals in the manner they have.

Teams better than this US side have found themselves on the wrong end of a Beckham cross, a Gerrard run, or a Xavi spin in the box.

The US’ keepers have both looked very good, Brad Guzan and Tim Howard both look like top-flight keepers and either one will be good enough for World Cup qualifying. Howard might be the better choice, since he is in his off season whereas Guzan will be playing matches with Chivas before and after each match.

The midfield has had a hard time keeping enough possession to mount a serious attack in either game. Freddy Adu looked like real class at the beginning of the match in Spain, but was forced to leave with an injury. Outside of his solid play, the midfield has been disappointing.

They won’t get much relief from the pressure that has been applied to them thus far when the Argentines come to Giant Stadium, but going forward they will need to increase their percentage of completed passes and provide better help to the attack, which has been an Achilles heal for the US in both matches.

They have certainly missed Landon Donavan, who missed both matches with a groin injury, as well as DeMarcus Beasley who was showing signs of rust after missing most of the year with Rangers.

Once both men are back to form, the midfield should improve substantially.

The forwards have struggled as well, but that is due in large part to poor service from the mids. Eddie Johnson looked good against England, but struggled to make a real impact in either game. Clint Dempsey wasn’t nearly aggressive enough, especially against Spain, and ended up as nearly a nonfactor in both games.

The US will need a much more aggressive play from these two if they hope to break their scoreless streak against Argentina.

No one expected the US to come out and dominate any of these games against such staunch competition, but it is good to see the US playing against the top teams in Europe and in South America.

Heading into matches that count, the home-and-home against Barbados, the US really needs to improve on three things to ensure passage into the next round of World Cup Qualifying.

First, they need better defensive discipline at the end of halves. Beckham’s goal was set up by a needless foul near the box. If Xavi hadn’t scored his goal, he would have had a PK opportunity, since he was clearly fouled by the out of control Frankie Hejduk.

Second, they need better control by the midfield. Once fitness is no longer an issue, I expect this problem will solve itself. If it doesn’t, the US could struggle in qualifying especially against quicker competition.

Freddy Adu possesses the ball extremely well, but he needs to look for his own shot more aggressively than he has so far.

Finally, the US must perform better on set pieces. This is an area where teams like England get the majority of their scoring opportunities, and while that is just one style of play, the US doesn’t look capable of scoring on most of these pieces.

Corners have looked decent, but the late runs need to be better timed.

Regaining possession off of missed free kicks and corners is also important; if they cannot score off the set itself, perhaps they can catch a defense out of position.

I fully expect the US to do fine in qualifying: Spain is the fourth best team in the world, and gearing up to win Euro 2008, Argentina is the top ranked squad on earth, and even England, despite missing the European championships is top ten.

The problems we have seen in these games may not become relevant against lesser teams, but if the US is serious about making it past the group stages of the World Cup, improving discipline, midfield control, and set pieces will go a long way towards making that dream a reality.